Skirt construction



April 3, 1956 R. Y. HALL EIAL SKIRT CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 12, 1952 IN VEN TOR.

REA/E5 XHAZL and BY ERRE L7. C'A/LLAL/D AT O RNES 5 April 3, 1956 R. Y. HALL ET'AL 2,740,278

SKIRT CONSTRUCTION Filed April 12, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet; 2

INVENTOR. fifA/EE XHA Z Z and BY F/E/ff/PE 5: 514/11 141/17 United States Patent SKIRT CONSTRUCTIGN Rene Yvonne Hall and Pierre Charles Caillaud, Mount Vernon, N. Y.

Application April 12, 1952, Serial No. 281,946

4" Claims. (CI. 66-17'0 This invention relates to improvements in skirt cons'tructi'on' and more particularly to improvements in knitted skirt construction.

In Patent No. 2,222,946, issued November 26, 1940, there is described and illustrated a skirt construction in which long courses are interspersed with short courses of variable length resulting in the formation of a piece of fabric of trapezoidal shape. The complete combination of'a predetermined number of short and long courses, in a predetermined sequence, is a cycle. The repetition of the cycle, a given number of times, produces a skirt.

The respective shortcourses in two consecutive'trapezoidal sections being-of the same length, each section represents a complete cycle. The short courses occur in pairs, and each pair of short courses or round is the same length as the corresponding'pair in the next cycle. Immediately beyond the inner end of each pair of short courses, a hole appears in the. cloth. Also in utilizing. short courses to cause the skirt to be wider at one end (bottom). than at the other (top) and thus create an increase at given intervals, an undesirable effect can result when the length of corresponding short courses is exactly the same in two consecutive cycles, as they cause too abrupt an increase all around the skirt. Subsequently it was found that by rearranging the short courses in two consecutive trapezoidal sections and by closing the openings at the ends of the pairs of short courses, a skirt of superior fit and appearance could be made, said improvements being the essence of the subject application.

It is an object of the instant invention to provide a skirt fabric which does not have the small holes incident to known means of manufacture.

A further object is to provide a fabric of the type described in which felting, fulling, or the use of novelty yarns is unnecessary in order to dissimulate the hole.

Another object is to produce fashioned skirts of even greater bottom width but pleasing to the eye, in conformity with the style trends and fitting better than was formerly considered possible and practical.

Other objects of the instant invention will become apparent in the course of the following specification.

In the attainment of the aforesaid objectives, the first of each pair of short courses is made one stitch longer than the other, that stitch being a tuck stitch. This tuck stitch connects the termination of the first short course with a stitch of the adjacent longer course, and prevents the small hole from occurring.

In addition by ending at a different level the respective pairs of short courses in consecutive trapezoidal sections, more short courses can be used with resultant greater ratio of bottom width of each section in relation to the top and subsequent greater flare in the skirt, than was possible with former known method, also resultant better fit and eye appeal than when all courses of corresponding length end at same level causing too abrupt a change in skirt width at that level. It should be noted however that in so doing the cycle is changed as the complete cycle 2. is produced over 2' consecutive sections, or more if 'desired, instead of in one as before.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following d'etail'ed'description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing byway of example the preferred embodiments of the inventive concept.

In the drawings:

Figure 11 is a diagrammatic view upon enlarged scale showing. the details of the short and long courses constructed in accordance with known art;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view on an enlarged scale showing the details of the short and long courses" con structed in accordance with the principles ofthis ,invention;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view showing the fabric knitted with the inner ends of pairs of short" courses staggered at different locations over two consecutive sections, andconstituting the new cycle.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the trapezoidal sectionsknitted'with the inner ends of the shortest of the short courses centered in two consecutive sections.

Referring now in greater detailto the drawings where like reference numerals indicate like parts, reference numerals I0" and 11 (Fig. 1) indicate two short courses secured between the long courses12 and 13 in the manner described and illustrated in Patent No. 2,222,946, issued November 26, 1940; Reference numeralslim and'14 (Fig. 2) indicate two short courses secured between the long courses 14a and? 15' in the manner of subject invention.

In Patent No. 2,222,946 (Fig. 1) both short courses lit and? 11 ofa pair of. terminate at and are attached to the sinker loop 16. This sinker; loop instead of tying two courses together as'sinkerloops'normally' do actually holds four courses It), 11-, 12, 13 together. Because the left hand side of the sinker loop is tied and twisted with four loops. instead of two, it must of necessity be larger than normal. It receives the extra amount of yarn to permit it to be-larger-by pulling yarn from the surrounding loops of the long course 13 as'a result of stresses: and strains of the fabric in this immediate area. The enlarged sinker loop appears as a fashion mark or small hole.

To obviate the holes, in accordance with the present invention, an additional stitch is made at the inner end of the first of each pair of short courses 14 (Fig. 2), that stitch being a tuck stitch 13b. The tuck stitch 13b binds the inner end of the second short course 14 to stitch 17a which is a stitch of the longer course 15 located immediately beyond the termination of the first short course 13a in such a manner that the right hand side (Fig. 2) of the sinker loop 16a is not permitted to pull away from the left hand side as a result of stresses and strains but applies part of the strain and stress that was on sinker loop 16 (Fig. 1) to needle loop 17a (Fig. 2). This obviates the holes and reinforces the fabric at the area of the hole, thereby strengthening it.

The purpose of the short courses, Patent No. 2,222,946, is to increase the surface of the fabric around the skirt at predetermined locations. When the increases are repeated some 60 times to as many as times or more around the skirt, according to sizes and style, and when respective pairs of short courses in adjacent sections terminate at the same respective locations, the increasing tends to be too abrupt and, hence, the number of increases must be limited. This is for the purpose ofmaking a well fitting and eye-appealing skirt. Such limitation, however, has a tendency to limit the bottom spread of the skirt, which depends upon the formation of as many short courses as possible at that end of the fabric and of the elimination thereof at the opposite end.

For these reasons, it has been found advantageous to complete the cycle of short course terminations over two or more consecutive sections, rather than in one. when the inner terminations of respective pairs of short courses are at difierent locations in consecutive sections, the increasings are more gradual and the skirt fits better and is more eye-appealing.

Such improved knitting is shown in Figure 3 where reference numerals b, 16b, 17b, 18b, 19b and 20 indicate pairs of short courses having their inner ends staggered in one section 36 between longer courses, such as 21, 22, 23, and 24 which are used in combination with the short courses. In the adjacent fashioned section 25, the pairs of short courses 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31 also have their ends staggered between the long courses 32, '33, 34, and 35 but it will be noted that the inner ends of respective pair sof short courses in the two sections are at different levels in relation to the length of the skirt.

It has also been found advantageous (Fig. 4) to arrange the pairs of short courses 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, and 42 in combination with long courses, such as 43 and 44 in such manner that the shortest courses 37 are at bottom center of the section 45, and that pairs of short courses are increasingly longer. However, each of the pairs of short courses is of a difierent length.

As in the case illustrated and described in connection with Figure 3, the inner ends of the pairs of short courses in two consecutive sections are in different levels although the length pattern of the short courses in consecutive sections is generally the same, that is the shortest short courses in the center and the short courses further from the center of the section longer in length, as shown in sections 45, 46 of Figure 4.

The operation will be apparent from the preceding description and it will be further apparent that it is possible to produce other improvements without departing from the inventive concept herein disclosed. Hence, it is desired that only such limitations be imposed on the appended claims as are stated therein, or required by the prior art. a

What is claimed is:

1. A knitted skirt construction having a plurality of knitted courses extending vertically for the full lengthv thereof and a plurality of pairs of intervening short courses extending from the bottom of the skirt toward the top thereof, the inner ends of each pair of short courses being'staggered at different levels over at least two consecutive trapezoidal sections.

2. A knitted skirt construction having a plurality of knitted long courses extending vertically for thefull length thereof and a plurality of pairs of intervening short courses of varying length extending from the bottom of the skirt towards the top thereof, the inner ends of the shortest of the short courses being substantially-centered between two longer courses and with the remaining short courses placed on opposite sides of the shortest of the short courses in accordance with the increased lengths thereof.

3. A knitted skirt construction comprising a plurality of spaced long courses extending for the full vertical length of the skirt, a plurality of pairs of short courses of varying length being staggered at different levels in at least two consecutive trapezoidal sections and extending from the bottom of the skirt toward the top thereof, the inner end of one of the pairs of each short courses being secured to a longer course by a tuck stitch.

4. A knitted skirt construction comprising a plurality of spaced long coursesextending for the full vertical length of the skirt, a plurality of pairs of short courses of varying length, the inner ends of the shortest of the short courses being substantially centered intermediate the sections and gradually increasing in length on both sides of the shortest short course, the inner ends of the short courses further being staggered over at least two consecutive sections and the inner end of one of the pairs of each short course beingsecured to a long course by a tuck stitch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 455,079 Germany Ian. 26, 1928 

